Barack Obama Approval Polling

Now you can track President Obama's polling numbers and news directly from you iGoogle page. The Obama Job Approval gadget displays the latest job approval numbers from Gallup as well as links to news stories on the president's popularity.

This Gadget Is Your Gadget

This gadget was made for you and me. Well, for me, and for you if you appreciate America's greatest folk singer Woody Guthrie. This is our Woody Guthrie Song of the Day Gadget and it's ready to drop into your iGoogle page. Then you can enjoy a different Woody Guthrie folk song every day! I like to invite hobos in to enjoy it with me.

60s Garage Rock and Roll Gadget

Here at the Gadgetoon Labs we love that rock and roll music. Especially Sixties rock. Guitars and drums and every now and then a Hammond B3. That's good American rock and roll...Garage Band style. Here's what the All-Music Guide says about Garage Rock:

Garage Rock was a simple, raw form of rock & roll created by a number of American bands in the mid-'60s...emphasized their amateurishness, playing the same three chords, bashing their guitars and growling their vocals. In many ways, the garage bands were the first wave of do-it-yourself punk rockers.

Yep, that's the stuff we like.

Here's our new 60s Garage Song of the Day gadget. Now, every day of the rest of your life, you can enjoy a different 1960s Garage Band song right on your iGoogle page. Or embed it on your "This is Tiffy my Cocker Spaniel" web site.

Burn Notice News Gadget

We've been working on some news gadgets/widgets lately. Mini-apps that deliver news directly to your web page. Important news, like border security or healthy food or, what's up with Michael and Fiona?
This is our new Burn Notice News Gadget. The latest news gathered from everywhere about the USA Networks television series Burn Notice and it's stars. Grab it for your web site and you'll have no excuse for not knowing about Michael's real-life legal probs or Sam's knockout Comic-Con appearance.

Border Patrol News Videos

New from the Gadgetoon Labs is a handy gadget for embedding broadcast news reports of Border Patrol activities on your iGoogle page or any web page. The Border Patrol News mini-app gathers timely video news clips from broadcast sources around the country, often times displaying them the same day as their original broadcast day.

Burn Notice Fiona Quotes

Fiona Glenanne, the fiery Fi of Burn Notice. Half of Michael and Fiona. Here's a collection of Fiona quotes on the subjects of life, love and small explosives. Things like,

"I am better at buying guns than I am buying shoes, and I'm really good at buying shoes."

Grab the Burn Notice Fiona Quotes gadget for your iGoogle page or embed in any web page and give visitors a chuckle.

Christmas Song of the Day Gadget

Isn't it a shame that you never hear Christmas songs in July? So many great Christmas songs and yet none of the radio stations bother playing them until after turkey day. Well finally, a solution to the problem: the Christmas Song of the Day Gadget for your iGoogle page or to embed in any web page.

San Diego Zoo Panda Cam

Here's the latest Gadgetoon mini-app for iGoogle, the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam Gadget.
Keep an eye on the Giant Pandas of the San Diego Zoo right on your iGoogle page, or embed on any web page to delight your visitors. Which of the Pandas are you seeing? Cameras 1 through 3 are showing Su Lin, Cams 4-7 show Zhen Zhen, Cams 11, 15, 17 and 27-29 are showing Bai Yun, and Cameras 23, 30, 31 and 32 are trained on GaoGao. From Gadgetoon.

Making a Sponsor Me Video for Skaters

After making the Sponsor Me Skateboarding Videos gadget for iGoogle we got to doing some more research on Sponsor Me vids. There's an excellent article on the subject of Sponsor Me Videos posted over at Transworld Skateboarding, 8 Steps to an Airtight Sponsor Me Video.
The article is a few years old but all very valid information. I especially like...

It doesn’t matter how you capture the footage; just get it done. It could be from your homie, your girlfriend, your mom or babysitter; the quality doesn’t really matter. This is where professionals like Greg Hunt and Jon Holland will come into play. After getting put on any said company, it’s the job of the filmers and photographers to make you look good.

Ain't that the truth. Don't let the fact that you can't make your video in IMAX stop you from making a video. Just Do It, to quote the shoe dudes. The object of your Sponsor Me Video is to get your foot in the door, so get it made and get it out there.
I want to add a couple of points specifically geared toward our Sponsor Me Skateboarding Videos gadget. First, when you upload a Sponsor Me Video to YouTube be sure and include the word "sponsor" to the title. This insures that we can find your diamond of a video among all the pieces of coal. The other suggestion is to include your town or state in the title. This helps get your video noticed by the sponsorship possibles in your local market. My perfect YouTube title would read something like - Joe "Fireplug" Jones, Flagstaff AZ Skater Sponsor Me Video. The first step to getting your video looked at is a good title so don't just call it Sponsor Me Vid or something else lame.

Sponsor Me Skateboarding Videos

We just created a new gadget/widget that makes it easy to find YouTube videos from skaters looking for sponsors. The Sponsor Me Skateboarding Videos Gadget sniffs out the newest videos submitted to YouTube. Now you can check out the competition right from your iGoogle page or embed the widget on your web page as a benefit for site visitors.

Lonesome Highway

A web cam somewhere in Alturas County, California. Fascinating, no? Possible uses in future widget project. Details forthcoming.

ToonVue Cartoon Viewer

Newest addition to the Gadgetoon Empire is the ToonVue Cartoon Viewer for iGoogle or embedding in any web page. The ToonVue Cartoon Viewer gadget/widget featuring classic Saturday morning cartoons like Yogi Bear, Sylvester and Tweety, Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner and Wily Coyote, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Foghorn Leghorn, and many many others. A great selection of vintage cartoons from the Sixties and Seventies in an easy to embed widget or gadget.
Get your ToonVue Cartoon Viewer for iGoogle today. See ya in the funny papers!

Gadget Instantly Maps California Earthquakes

Instantly know of any earthquake in California or Nevada with California Earthquakes gadget for iGoogle, or embed California Earthquakes gadget in any web page. Instant information from the United States Geological Service plotted on a pop-out map.
Was that an earthquake? Just look on your iGoogle page for the California Earthquakes Gadget. Install the California Earthquakes Gadget on your iGoogle page now!

Access FedEx from iGoogle With Gadget

This is our new FedEx Command gadget which allows you to access all the web services of FedEx through your iGoogle page. We've built the FedEx Command gadget on the versatile FedEx Mobile platform. The FedEx Command Gadget will be available soon at the iGoogle gadget directory.

Hunter S Thompson Quotes Gadget

Reading from the book of Gonzo, here's your Hunter S. Thompson Daily Scripture. We've compiled an always expanding collection of Hunter S. Thompson quotes for your iGoogle page or for any web page.

New Alison Krauss Videos Gadget

I am a huge fan of Alison Krauss and Union Station. Have been for years. Those that are only recently discovering Alison Krauss from her work with Robert Plant should check out her earlier work, the mostly-bluegrass work that has earned her close to 30 Grammy awards.

I've gathered together a whole mess of Alison Krauss videos for this gadget. You'll find some of her teenage solo work, the hits from her and Union Station, and some of the duets with such stars as John Waite, Yo Yo Ma, Brad Paisley and others. Everytime you refresh or reload the page a different video will be ready to play. Grab this Alison Krauss videos widget for your web page or iGoogle page.

Plurk Micro-Blogging Gadget for iGoogle

Now you can access your Plurk account without leaving your iGoogle page, or embed the Plurk gadget directly into any web page. Plurk is an easy way to chronicle and share the things you do, the way you feel, and all the other things in between that make up your life, with the people close to you. Be sure and follow Gadgetoon on Plurk. We're not there everyday but do check in often. See us at http://www.plurk.com/gadgetoon

Get A Job With The New Monster Gadget

OK, now we're getting somewhere. I've determined that I can get my new gadgets to display in the blogger posts. The gadgets don't show while composing, but do render when published.
So, here's my brand new Monster.com gadget for directly accessing your Monster account from your iGoogle or MySpace or any web page. Try it out and see if it ain't hella cool.
Using one of the templates provided in Widget Riches I was able to toss this together in about an hour and that was starting and stopping and backing up and stopping to watch Squidbillies and starting again and backing up some more and then stumbling to the finish line. I figure once I get a few gadgets under my belt I should be able to put one together in 10 minutes or less.

Working on Building Money-Making Gadgets

Phillip, from Widget Riches, says for the 29 bucks I paid him I'll

Learn how to create online widgets like the ones that earn me up to $30,000 a month of residual income!

How can you not like the sound of that! Dude gonna show me how to make 30 grand a month.

I suspect there's some hyperbole involved here, but will be happy as hell if Phillip delivers 10-percent of the pitch. Yep, 3 grand a month would be fantastic.
I downloaded the Widget Riches program earlier today and am finding it very interesting and promising. Here's my first gadget. This is my version of the Mr. Grumpy exercise, I went with the Mr Grumpy Pirate to spice up the exercise. Hey, it was either pirates or ninjas.

Actually this is a screen capture of the gadget, because it seems that I can't insert the gadget into a blog post, only the sidebar. I should probably try to find a work-around for this problem.

Gadgetoon, A Gadget Building Project

I've started a new gadgets and widgets project, code name Gadgetoon. The idea is the create some of those little web apps known as gadgets, or widgets, and in turn make some money.
This is prompted by an information product that I got ahold of earlier today, Widget Riches. The simple concept is to build widgets that generate income with adsense and/or affiliate links. The guy behind the program, Phillip, provides the templates and details on how to build money-making gadgets. All I'll have to do is come up with the content. And I don't think that's going to be a problem.
So, Gadgetoon is underway. I'll document my progress on this blog and let everyone know whether the entire project is worthwhile.